An Angel's Revenge
by XxFearTheFluffxX
Summary: To forgive and forget... Is it actually possible or is it merely a delusion? A childish fairytale concocted to make those seeking forgiveness feel better for their transgressions? Sad as it seems, there are some sins that just cannot be pardoned. RenoxOC


"Betrayal... it's a funny thing, don't you think? So many ways to betray and _be_ betrayed... yet it all comes down to the same thing in the end."

Her voice was soft. Gentle and sad, just like her thin face. Her deep hazel eyes remained fixed on the dusty ground, her long, jet-black hair swaying around her face as the breeze pulled at it playfully, beckoning her into the sky with hands of caressing nothingness.

Her clothes were torn from the recent fight, short though it had been, and a gash on her left knee was steadily staining her khaki green combats with blood. The plain white vest top and black jacket she donned were sodden with liquid red too, and the criss-crossing belts which usually sat loosely on her hips had been cut beyond recognition. To summarise, she looked like a victim of some vicious, bloody war.

Reno said nothing in reply; there was nothing he _could _say. Behind him he could sense Rude, Tseng and Elena, his ever present colleagues, spreading out to provide extra cover – though he personally didn't see what it was they thought might happen – but otherwise keeping out of the way. They were making it painfully obvious that this was _his_ problem to deal with; _his_ choice to make. They wouldn't interfere unless things got violent again.

Slowly, he opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again almost immediately when he realised he still couldn't think of anything to say. He settled instead for gazing off towards the cliff edge several meters behind the girl, which was lined with an assortment of grasses, plants and flowers, all damp from the slight drizzle of rain earlier, a few shimmering with spatters of blood on their vibrant, green leaves. It was almost frightening, the contrast of the emerald leaves against the ruby blood... And the fact that it was _her_ blood made this more like a scene straight from one of his worst nightmares...

Reno mentally shook himself – there was no time for thinking like that. He was a Turk and _very_ _good_ at what he did, despite his carefree attitude. This had to be dealt with; _now_, before it got out of control and he was forced to do something he _knew_ he'd regret.

"Lorelei..."

Even to his own ears his voice sounded feeble – _hollow_. Reno wasn't even sure if she'd heard him, though by now he was well aware of her strong sense of hearing. He tried again; this time he couldn't even force the words past his lips.

Lorelei's ears pricked up and she lifted her head to look him in the eye, a serene, albeit faintly bitter, smile playing at her lips, _completely_ calm though she must have been in pain from those injuries. She was pretty, no denying it; a fine sight indeed. But that was only _part_ of the reason Reno was so attracted to her. There was something different about Lorelei... she had something... something no other girl he'd ever known had possessed. She was strong... she'd been able to resist him, in more ways than one. And she was something of an enigma. The way she never spoke about herself suggested she was hiding an interesting secret. Reno supposed it was a combination of all these things that fascinated him so, but he really was rather bad with matters of emotional attachment so he couldn't say for sure.

"It's okay, Reno... I know that's what you think. You think I've betrayed you. I won't make you say it. I don't have to; I can see it in your eyes." she laughed, wincing simultaneously as pain lanced through her in several places at once. Going for the worst affected area, she clutched desperately at her side, gasping through the strain. Within seconds she managed to compose herself, that smile of hers returning though it was noticeably strained now.

"Not that it'll help, but please know, it's not _you_ I want revenge against. I _never_ wanted to hurt you. Not even for a second." And she truly meant what she said. He could tell by the way her face and eyes softened as she said it.

"Why d'you want revenge at all anymore?!" he demanded, finding his voice in the sight of her suffering. Why was she doing this to herself? Why was she fighting a battle that didn't need to be fought anymore?

A chuckle laced with black humour emanated from her, by this point, slouched form - she was losing strength rapidly and Reno could see it. _If she doesn't get those wounds seen to right now she'll die, _he thought grimly.

"Why? You of _all_ people should know how the ShinRa made people suffer." she murmured, her voice reflecting her diminishing health. Reno couldn't help but be slightly insulted; they way she said 'you of _all_ people' sounded to him like an accusation. One he deserved, but one that hurt him nonetheless. "How they killed without pity if someone stood up to them," she continued weakly. "how they conducted foul experiments just to satisfy their own ill-gotten curiosity... Just _look. _Look at what they've done to the planet."

As she spoke, Lorelei staggered – much like her voice – over to Reno, who could do nothing for the helpless horror clawing at his chest. Each step costed her dearly in energy, but she always followed it up with another – her determination was nothing if not admirable. When, after what felt like an age and then some, she eventually reached him, she fell in to his strong arms and clung to his untucked shirt, holding herself up with little more than will power and borrowed strength from Reno. In his surprise he dropped his rod, the weapon that had been by his side through some pretty tough times in the past; it was something he had never done before and something he wouldn't have even _considered_ doing for anyone else. Behind them he heard someone – Elena, most likely – gasp at this obvious depiction of his feelings for Lorelei.

Wrapping her arms around his thin waist, she pulled him close and breathed in his scent - a strong musky smell that somehow assuaged all her fears even if, in reality, it couldn't solve them. She reached up and played with his crimson bangs, tugging at them softly, an indulgent smile on her delicate features. Lorelei felt hot, salty tears sting in her eyes and in an attempt to hide them she pulled Reno closer, burying her face in his chest, wanting to stay safe in his arms forever yet knowing it could never be.

When she felt composed enough to look at him without shattering, Lorelei placed her hands tenderly on either side of his face, not caring that the other Turks were watching with various mixtures of interest, joy (on Elena's part) and pity. Pulling his head down so she could reach – for he was, as he always had been, a good foot taller than she – she let her lips settle gently on his, moving them sweetly, trying to tell him so much through such a simple gesture. She felt him kiss back and his arms contracted to hold her closer; her heart soared and plummeted at the same time - he would suffer greatly for his love of her.

For his part, Reno was confused; a state of mind he was all too familiar with but tried to avoid if and when possible. What was this supposed to prove? What was she trying to do?

When they broke apart he saw she was smiling again – this time without the bitter twist.

"You know... you don't _have_ to be mad at ShinRa anymore. The company's changed... " he whispered hopefully. Lorelei shook her head and pushed him away, stumbling backwards towards the cliff's edge. Inches from the precipice, she paused and swayed precariously, looking like she was about to faint.

"No, Reno. What the ShinRa have done to the planet... although it's unarguably despicable, that isn't why I hate them. You remember what I said about the experiments?" she asked. He nodded.

Lorelei shut her eyes and held her arms out to the sides, stretching her fingers wide and focusing on something only _she_ knew of. There was a reddish glow and two huge, white, angel-like wings erupted from her back, the tips of the feathers a deep red, like _blood_. She grimaced, clearly in pain from the extension of the wings.

"I was one of those experiments. They fused me with a rare summons discovered in the Northern Mountains; what you see here is only _part_ of my transformation. Thanks to the ShinRa, I'm barely even human anymore. Changed or not, it makes no difference. What I am cannot be fixed."

With that she turned, stumbling over her own legs, which were now too weak to fully support her. She twisted her head back to gaze at Reno one last time. The shock on his face tore at her heart and even as she watched, he made to stop her jumping off the cliff. It didn't _matter_ what she was, she knew. It wouldn't change how he felt about her. She blinked at him and suddenly he was frozen, unable to move a muscle.

"You know," she sighed forlornly. "I really _did_ like you, Reno. Maybe, if things were different..."

Shaking her head as if trying to dispel a dream, she jumped, disappearing behind the rock face before shooting back up on her beautiful, mutant wings.

Reno watched miserably as she disappeared into the distance, dipping often from the effort of carrying herself through the air. He kept watch long after she'd flown from sight – hoping, by some miracle that she'd come back – and made a solemn promise to himself: Even if it was the last thing he ever did, he _would _see her again. And she _would_ be his.


End file.
